US3033924A - Rocket borne television system - Google Patents

Description

y 1962 J. E. AINSWORTH, JR 3,033,924

' ROCKET BORNE TELEVISION SYSTEM 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 23, 1959 INDICATOR INVENTOR JOHN E. AINSWORTH,JR.

ATTORNEY J. E. AINSWORTH, JR 3,033,924

May 8, 1962 ROCKET BORNE TELEVISION SYSTEM 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 23, 1959 POWER SUPPLY I BEAM POSITION TRANSMITTER INVENTOR JOHN E. AINSWORTH,JR

ATTORNEY y 1962 J. E. AINSWORTH, JR 3,033,924

ROCKET BORNE TELEVISION SYSTEM Filed Jan. 23. 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 E1513 E1525 A 25 j U T LY EARTH M ERCATOFI B 2 T 'Z EZE i?N EAI\ISgEEP PROJECTI SUN III? YE N 'E REI I SCAN LINE I AMPLIFIER K' Q E' CLIPNPIIDNG I PULSE I RECEIVER FORMING I CIRCUITRY PHOTO SENSITIVE 30 II PAPER p p M I! E1515 D TRANSMITTER i 19 I ,I

l n MERCATOR PROJ ECTION INVENTOR JOHN E. Al NS WORTHJR' ATTORNEY y 8, 1962 J. E. AINSWORTH, JR 3,033,924

ROCKET BORNE TELEVISION SYSTEM Filed Jan. 23, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 A s RECEIVER INDICATOR INVENTOR JOHN E. A|NSWORTH,JR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,033,924 ROCKET BORNE TELEVISION SYSTEM John E. Ainsworth, Jr., Arlington, Va., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Filed Jan. 23, 1959, er. No. 788,694 7 Claims. (Cl. 1786.8) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), see. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

This invention relates in general to a method of reporting surrounding bodies and phenomena by television and in particular to single-line scanning and reporting from a revolving object.

The prior art discloses airborne television cameras for collecting and transmitting information relative to adjacent aircraft and nearby terrain, but with accompanying distortion and limitations in information reproduction imposed by the relative speed of the camera to the objects viewed, and/ or lateral motion between the target and camera. Many prior art devices for reporting information from moving objects by photoelectric means require artificial illumination of the surface or area to be reported thereby severely limiting the distance across which effective reporting can be made.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide means for television reporting of remote bodies and phenomena by utilization of reflected or radiant energy therefrom.

Another object of the present invention-is to provide a means for obtaining and instantly reporting the aspect of a revolving vehicle.

A further object of this invention is to reduce television i system distortion to one dimension by use of the singleline scan method of image transfer and reproduction.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon a careful consideration of the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of equipment used in the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of equipment used in a second embodiment of the present invention. I

FIGS. 4a, 4b and 40 show three alternate apertures for use in the first and second embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a third embodiment of the present invention. t

FIGS. 60, 6b, 6c and 6d show alternate indicating means for use with embodiments of the present invention.

In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a single-line scan/television system is provided for reporting at a remote station the scene viewed by a television camera installed in a revolving object. The revolving television camera receives reflected or radiant Referring to FIG. 1, object 11 is depicted as in space above the earths surface and revolving about axis AA. The celestial sphere within which it is revolving is indicated as ABAB' and comprises hemispheres 12 and 13. Television camera tube 14 is mounted on object 11 so that wide angle lens 15 associated therewithtransmits and focuses reflected or radiant energy from area ACEC' into the camera tube. The focused image of area ACEC is scanned along line ADE by camera tube 14 and the."

scan information conducted to transmitter 17 via cable 16 and thence to antenna 19. At a remote station, on the earths surface, for example, signal receiver 21 reforms the information from transmitter 17, and cable 22 relays the scan information to indicator 23 where it may be displayed in a variety of different manners some of which are explained in more detail in connection with FIG; 6. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention lens 15 is a 90-degree wide-angle lens, however, it is understood that lenses of smaller or larger angle may be used to focus a desired area for'scanning by the.

television camera tube 14.

While a conventional camera tube of the type having a relatively large photosensitive surface is shown in the drawings, it will'be appreciated that such a large photosensitive surface is not essential to the invention. Since only a small portion of the surface is subject to the scanning beam, the size of the surface can be substantially; reduced by eliminating the region of the surface which is not scanned. Preferably, the photosensitive surface has:

an elongated configuration.

FIG. 2 presents a block diagram of a single line scan arrangement showing the components assembled to pro-- vide the necessary information and to relay that information to a remote station. Power supply 24may con sist of 1ead-acid storage cells or mercury cells or similar sources of potential. The beam of electrons is controlled by beam position and focus apparatus 25, while uniform motion of the electron beam across the scan line of television camera tube 14 as well as substitution for the picture signal of a signal whose instantaneous amplitude is such as to make the return trace invisible is accoi'n-j plished by the line sweep and blanking pulse generator 26.

The picture signal is amplified by video amplifier'27 to a level required to modulate the transmitting device. FM transmitter 28 varies the frequency of the Wave to be transmitted with time and supplies the power to antenna 19 necessary to radiate the signal through space In FIG. 3, the components shown in FIG. 2 are com plemented bythe addition of clipping and pulse forming circuitry 29 and by the substitution of a pulse position modulation (PPM) transmitter 30 for FM transmitter 28. The clipping and pulse formingcircuitry 29 produces.

a desired waveform by exponentially changing voltages and currents and by a clipping or limiting action. The pulse position transmitter 30 is installed to sample eachof 15 channels 312.5 times a second although 4 channels can be used to give a single channel a sampling rate of i 1250 times a second if required. ThePPM transmitter energy from bodies and phenomena in space, transforms f the radiant energy into electric pulses, and transmits the 30 was designed to operate with a specific receiving station. Of course, a wide variety of PPM transmitters and associated receivers are available and may be utilized to transfer scan information from the television camera tube to a display device, the primary function of many such transmitter-receiver systems being to permit relaying ofinformation'from several deviceswithin the carrier at selected time intervals;

The television camera tube 14 may be mounted in varito be scanned. Anaperture such as 31 in FIG. 4A Will j accommodate -degre'e lens 15 thereby including a spherical sector of the'imaginary sphere surrounding 0b-"' Patented May 8, 1962 ject 11 and omitting, of co object. In FIG. 4B; aperture 32 will accommodate 90 rse, the zenith and nadir of the degree lens 15 and relay information from a'spherical sector 90. degreeswide whichincludes the zenith of, object 11. i In FIG. 4C aperture33 is constructed to accomm datelSQ-de'gree lens 36.? A camera tube having such a lens will scan, during one revolution of object 11, hernisphereslg and 13. The scanning of such a large area per-' mits the production of a mercator projection of an entire sphere. when displayed as shown in FIG. 6A. Aperture 33,. in FIG. 4C thus permits use of a lens which will relay information in single line scans beginning at the zenith of object 11 and terminating at the. nadir of that object,

or conversely. 7 FIG; depicts a'third embodiment of the-present invention wherein rotating object 11 is shown; within imaginary celestial sphere ABAB as in FIG. 1 but having televi sio'n cam era tube 14 inserted offcenter in the .nos'e'of' the object and containing a lens 15which permits the f scanning of the'circular area CDC'D', which is defined by rotating line AC about axis AA which is thejaxis of object L1 as well as of imaginary celestial sphere ABB; Lens 15 transmitsand focuses reflected or radiant energy from circular areaCDC' within'camera tube 14, with the focused image of area CDC being scanned along rotating line AC. The single line scan information is assimilated, 7

photosensitive paper is moved past a single scan line at a rate equal to the revolution of object 11. FIG. 61)

shows the mercator projection obtained from clipped and modulated pulses which in their original form would produce the mercator projection of FIG. 6A. It is understood that' information from the signal receiver may be stored by magnetic tape recording or by other means I not shown in the drawings and later displayed onone or more indicators such as those illustrated or on similar indicating devices.

The mercntor projection of FIG. 6A and the polar projection of FIG. 63 display single-line scan information on luminescent surfaces having a vertical line sweep for 6A and a rotary line sweep for 63, each sweep being synchronized withthe rate of spin of object 11'. Also, each sweep should be capable of ready change to accommodate any change in object spin. The scan line in either 6A or 63 maybe stationary and the luminescent surface imoved laterally or rotated, rcspectively, to correspond with the spinrate of object 11. The photographic reproduction of FIG. 6C is an enample'of picture reproduction from a stationary scan line onto a laterally moving synchronized photosensitive paper. The pulse position modulated mercator projection of FIG. 6D is an example of limited image reproduction through the use of clipped and blanked pulses. The information displayed is suffitransmitted and, at a remote station, received and dis-.

played'ona plan-position indicating oscilloscope.

In operation, a conventional television camera tube 14,

e.g }a vidicon, imageorthicon or iconoscope having, in

the perlirninary embodiment, a 9Q-degrcewide-angle lens,

is so placed; in object 11 that the circular field encom I passedbylens 15' extends from substantially the zenith of object 11 to the celestial equator of the imaginary celestial sphere surrounding the object. An arc, e.g., AB

in FIG. 1,. of the image of the circular field is scanned repeatedly by television camera tube 14 and as object 1 1"revo1ve s a repeated scanning of arc All provides. cov-. era'ge of hemisphere 12; When a prescribed repetition rate, for example 3600 scans per second, occurs in phase with arate of one revolution per second cach'scan line is spaced a prescribed-amount, for example 0.10 degree, from the preceding scan line. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2, FM transmitter 28 relays only video information to the antenna while in the exemplary embodiment shown inFIG. 3 PPM transmitter 30 relays video information as well as such information as temperature measurements, pressure measurements, cosmic-ray intensity and so forth from other rocket borne equipmentnot shown. 7

The three alternate apertures for camera lens 15 shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C are not intended to be inclusive of all apertures which might be used in the present invention but rather illustrate some of the variety of mountings which might be; used in the present invention to provide the desired'scan of the objects surroundings; The telemetering by PPM transmitter 30 in FlG; 3 likewise canbe accomplished in a variety of ways, thePTima-ry ob- 'jective being to permit information to be relayed from several sources at selected times through a single unit in preference to'using additional spaceand adding additional weight to accommodate several transmitters. v i

cient in detail-for general purposes such as determining the aspect of object 11; it is insufficient to provide accurate details of the bodies and phenomena observed.

The use of large lens apertures in some instances requires the use of some kind of sun damage protective device such as a fast response automatic aperture or lens shutter or a speci al'opaque or translucent line scan shutter,

neither of which is shown in the figures. Sun damage 1 can also occur because of sunlight reflections from the lens surfaces, the lens barrel, and the camera interior creating a general diffusion of light or fogging. Such a condition is particularly well controlled or limited in singleline scan viewing by usinga lens shade, not shown, consisting of two large vertical parallel plates separated by a distance equal to the objective lens diameter.

Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible pursuant to the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise t the field of view of'said means for focusing, means in- FIG. 6 depicts some of the means for displaying the 7 images received and transmitted by embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6A is a mercator projection-of heinisphnte 12, of FIG. l 'with-the zenith of object 11' eluding electron beam reading means for periodically scanning .a line of said focused, radiant energy information on said surface, means for relaying the information read by said means for scanning to said remote location, and

means for'displaying said relayed information at said remote location. 3

' 2; A device for reporting reflected or radiant energy information incident on a revolving object to a remote location which comprises a photosensitive surface, means for. focusing radiantenergy information on said photoelongated into the upper line of the projection. FIG. 6B

is a polar projection of area CDCD of FIG. 5 wherein point A of FIGS, which is the zenith of object 1 1, is the center of the polar projection. A similar projection can be obtained from. a centrally mounted tube using CAC of FIG. 5 as a sweep line, in which case a. Complete pro-- jection will be received for every one-half revolution of object 11. FIG. 6C shows a means for obtaining a photo- 1 7 graphic reproduction, of single line scan information Where sensitive surf-ace, said means for focusing being positioned substantially on the periphery of said object radially disposed from the axis'of rotation thereof such that radiant energy information is focused at a given instant from a selected portion of the space surrounding said object, means including electron beam reading means for periodically scanning a line of the radiant energy information focused on said photosensitive surface, means for relaying the information read by said means for scanning to said remote location, receiver means for receiving said relayed information at said remote location, and means connected to said receiver means for displaying said relayed infor mation in the form of a mercator projection.

3. A device for reporting reflected or radiant energy information incident on a revolving object to -a remote location which comprises a photosensitive surface, means for focusing radiant energy information on said photosensitive surface, said means for focusing being positioned substantially on the periphery of said object radially disposed from the axis of rotation thereof such that radiant energy information is focused at a given instant from a selected portion of the space surrounding said object, means including electron beam reading means for periodically scanning -a line of the radiant energy information focused on said photosensitive surface, means for selecting a portion of the radiant energy information read by said means for scanning, means for relaying said selected portion of said information to said remote location, receiver means for receiving said relayed information, and means connected to said receiver means for displaying said relayed information in the form of a mercator projection.

4. A device for reporting reflected or radiant energy information incident on a revolving object to a remote location which comprises a photosensitive surface, means for focusing radiant energy information on said photosensitive surface, said means for focusing being positioned substantially on the periphery of said object perpendicularly disposed from and tangent to the axis of rotation thereof such that radiant energy information is focused at a given instant from a selected portion of the space surrounding said axis of rotation, means including electron beam reading means for periodically scanning a line of the radiant energy information focused on said photo sensitive surface, means for relaying the information read by said means for scanning to said remote location, receiver means for receiving said relayed information at said remote location, and polar display means connected to said receiver means for displaying said relayed information in the form of a polar projection.

5. A device for reporting reflected or radiant energy information incident on a revolving object to a remote location which comprises a photosensitive surface, means for focusing radiant energy information on said photosensitive surface, said means for focusing being positioned substantially on the periphery of said object such that radiant energy information is focused at a given instant from a selected portion of the space surrounding a projeotion of the axis of rotation of said object, the bisector of said selwted portion being collinear with said axis of rotation, means including electron beam reading means for periodically scanning a line of the radiant energy information focused on said photosensitive surface, means for relaying the information read by said means for scanning to said remote location, receiver means for receiving said relayed information at said remote location, and polar display means connected to said receiver means for displaying said relayed information in the form of a polar projection.

6. A device for reporting reflected or radiant energy information incident on a revolving object to a remote location which comprises a photosensitive surface, means for focusing radiant energy information on said photo sensitive surface, said means for focusing being positioned substantially on the periphery of said object such that radiant energy information is focused at a given instant from a selected portion of the space surrounding a projection of the axis of rotation of said object, the bisector of said selected portion being collinear with said axis of rotation, means including electron beam reading means for periodically scanning a line of the radiant energy information focused on said photosensitive surface, means for relaying the information read by said means for scanning to said remote location, display means connected to said receiver means for displaying said relayed line of radiant energy information, said display means including a photosensitive screen, said photosensitive screen being rotated at a rate equivalent to the rate of rotation of said object.

7. A device for reporting reflected or radiant energy information incident on a revolving object to a remote location which comprises a photosensitive surface, means for focusing radiant energy information on said photosensitive surface, said means for focusing being positioned substantially on the periphery of said object radially disposed from the axis of rotation thereof such that radiant energy information is focused at a given instant from a selected portion of the space surrounding said object, means including electron beam reading means for periodically scanning a line of the radiant energy information focused on said photosensitive surface, pulse transmitting means for transmitting a pulse train of the information read by said means for scanning, receiver means for receiving said pulse train, and means connected to said receiver means for displaying said transmitted information in the form of a mercator projection.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,590,281 Sziklai Mar. 25, 1952 2,605,463 Hirschberg July 29, 1952 2,632,801 Donaldson Mar. 24, 1953 2,709,716 Haller May 31, 1955 2,818,466 Larson Dec. 31, 1957

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